Unexpected Change
by Arianwen P.F. Everett
Summary: Natalie comes accross, but not normally, and the race is on to find a rabid vampire..


Disclaimer: I don't own 'Forever Knight' or any of its characters. I am  
  
making no money from this story, just showing my love for a  
  
fabulous series.  
  
Authoress's Note: This story assumes that 'Last Knight' was a dream of  
  
Natalie Lambert's, and didn't really happen.  
  
  
  
Unexpected Change  
  
by Arianwen P.F. Everett  
  
  
  
Dr. Natalie Lambert stared in shock at the condition of 'her' morgue.  
  
The place was in shambles. The refrigerator was turned over; as was her  
  
autopsy table, her desk, and everything else. Whoever had done this was sick,  
  
and VERY strong, if they could knock over an industrial sized frig.  
  
Suddenly she notice, behind the frig, a pale white hand. As she  
  
approached it, the rest of the body belonging to the day coroner, Dr. Michell  
  
Allanski, revealed itself. Instinct told her to run, particularly when she saw  
  
the fang marks and the gouges on the throat.  
  
All of a sudden, her head was pushed to the side, and the world went  
  
black, disappearing hard on the heels of images from over a century ago.  
  
When she began to regain consciousness again, her mind rested on one odd  
  
thing, a sound, the sound of someone vomiting. Though she was not strong  
  
enough to turn her head, the sound seemed to fall on her, pounding unnaturally  
  
into her eardrums. As the sound intensified even more, it became unbearable.  
  
Completely unable to move, Natalie was silently grateful when she slipped back  
  
oblivion.  
  
* * *  
  
Luckily for both Natalie's soul, and the fate of the vampire community,  
  
Nick was the one to next enter the coroner's office wanting to speak with  
  
Natalie about the progress he'd made today. He hadn't had one drop of blood in  
  
the past twenty four hours, having survived solely on her protein shakes and  
  
not running amuck fangs bared and eyes aflame. Of course in the chaos of the  
  
Toronto PD squad room, who would notice? He chuckled to himself.  
  
Then immediately stopped laughing the minute he smelled the blood. It was  
  
blood, that he knew, but it was somewhat acrid, almost repugnant. His features  
  
turned to a smile. Perhaps he really was improving if he could no longer stand  
  
the smell of live blood. He looked around to confirm his solitude, then broke  
  
out into vampire speed, as he neared the fowl smell and Natalie's lab.  
  
Nick felt his dead heart beat thrice in succession at the sight before  
  
him. He scooped Natalie's body into his arms, and held her close. She was  
  
asleep, but vampire sleep. She was now one of his kind, and since her color  
  
was still a bit too rosy for vampires, though already deathly pale for a  
  
mortal, he knew when she woke she would go through first hunger and woe to any  
  
living creature around.  
  
He also noticed the thickened blood around him. Vampire, but definitely  
  
not normal, judging by the smell, the same smell that he had sensed out in the  
  
hallway. He gently lay Nat's body aside for a second and grabbed a specimen  
  
cup that he saw in the corner. He used the tip of his pen to scoop some into  
  
the cup and capped it.  
  
Nat stirred gently, and Nick quickly put the small cup in his coat pocket,  
  
lifting her up.  
  
He hated to have to do this, but he had no choice. He'd have to take  
  
her to 'The Raven'. It was closer than his loft. There was still almost  
  
an hour before opening, so there wouldn't be any mortals about to witness  
  
anything. There was security at 'The Raven' and a big enough supply of  
  
blood to feed a newborn vampire.  
  
But LaCroix would get himself involved, something Nick didn't need.  
  
Still, they would not be turned away.  
  
* * *  
  
Nick could here the shuffling of vampire feet, light and quick, against  
  
against the floor of the Raven. He heard the odd heartbeats of the vampires  
  
inside. He focused on one in particular, the most powerful, and used his bond  
  
to convey urgency. He pushed open the window from the outside, entering in  
  
his master's bedroom on the second floor, in the back of the building, and away  
  
from the prying eyes of the mortals below who were beginning to congregate at  
  
the club's entrance. As expected, LaCroix knew his son was here and where he  
  
was, and climbed back upstairs to his private chamber.  
  
After over 1900 years of existence, little surprised LaCroix. The sight of  
  
Nicholas holding the laboriously sleeping fledgling Natalie Lambert and the  
  
instinctual knowledge that Nicholas nor any of his family was her master  
  
piqued his interest. You couldn't tell it, as his features remained  
  
passive.  
  
"Nicholas, it is good to see you. I see you've brought a guest," LaCroix  
  
stated with sarcasm.  
  
"I found her on the floor of the morgue. I brought her here, as I don't  
  
have enough blood to satiate her first hunger. I think we need to dispense  
  
with the usual acerbic banter right now. We don't have much time till she...  
  
As if on cue, they both heard a deep hissing sound, followed by a low  
  
growl coming from the bundle in Nick's arms. "Ah hell! Get me some of your  
  
special stock before we have an incident with the mortals outside!" Nick  
  
demanded of his master.  
  
LaCroix let it pass, well aware of the consequences should Natalie wake up  
  
and fly madly out the window in search of blood, killing a few mortals in plain  
  
sight, right outside the Raven. The enforcers would have all of the vampires  
  
within a mile radius of the club staked and grilling in tomorrows sunlight.  
  
It was ecstasy, the feeling of sheer life in her, diffusing into  
  
individual memories. She felt giddiness and sever sorrow, yet  
  
disconnected from herself. It was like the best novel ever running  
  
throughout her entire being. Her mouth suckled and suckled as somehow  
  
Natalie knew that to be the source of this rapture. Then the rapture was  
  
replaced by a feeling of cold. It felt like she was standing naked in a  
  
blizzard, but even more intensely chilling. She couldn't hear or see a  
  
thing. There was only cold and pain. It was like she was drowning in the  
  
cold, but it would not kill her. It terrified her, and she let out a  
  
scream.  
  
LaCroix instinctively jumped to his feet, when the semi-conscious Dr.  
  
Lambert started twitching in his son's arms. The following cry froze him  
  
for a moment, as his mind tried to make sense of what was happening.  
  
This was not right. She should have woken up, a healthy fledgling,  
  
feeding contentedly on bottle after bottle of human blood. This looked  
  
more like a seizure than coming across, and LaCroix had never seen  
  
anything like this before. It was only Nicholas's shout that brought him  
  
back to reality and the situation at hand. He pulled the bottle away, and  
  
tried to help Nicholas keep her still. Natalie Lambert's body stopped  
  
shivering, and fell back asleep, allowing LaCroix to get up again.  
  
"I think we need to call in Ariella. I know she's not your favorite  
  
one of our kind, but she's the closest thing to a doctor we have, and she  
  
isn't quite fond of the Enforcers so she won't start trouble," LaCroix  
  
finally said.  
  
"NO! I will not let that butcher near Nat!" Nick protested.  
  
"Do you want the Enforcers involved? Do you? They'll just stake  
  
her and dispose of the body! Problem solved! Do you want that Nicholas?!"  
  
Lacroix spat in anger.  
  
"Why do you care?" Nick asked calmly.  
  
"Because she is a vampire now. And whatever happened to Dr. Lambert  
  
that's causing this reaction is a danger to us all! I'm going to find out  
  
where Ariella is, contact her, and bring her here. Don't do anything  
  
foolish Nicholas,... just baby sit," And with that said, LaCroix turned and  
  
left the room, heading downstairs.  
  
* * *  
  
Nick nuzzled Nat's forehead with his cheek and tried to pray. He  
  
doubted God wanted anything to do with him, but Nat didn't seemed to have  
  
had a choice in what she became. She had yet to kill, to truly realize  
  
the beast now within her, and it was that innocence that Nick prayed for.  
  
He loved her so much. Even knowing that it was her innocence that kept  
  
them apart, he didn't care if he was miserable for eternity, he just  
  
wanted her safe.  
  
At that moment her eyes opened, and she looked up at him, or at  
  
least tried to. Her eyes wouldn't focus completely. "Nick?" she asked  
  
weakly.  
  
"I'm here, Nat. I'm here. Things will be okay. I wish to God this  
  
hadn't happened, but we will work it out. We have to," he said, blood  
  
tears threatening to fall.  
  
"God, Nick. I feel so weak, like I'm drifting. I just want to go  
  
back to sleep," Nat said, her eyes drooping shut. Suddenly she was jolted  
  
back.  
  
"No, you need to tell me what happened? Who did this to you?" Nick  
  
demanded. He wasn't sure if she could die or not, and he wasn't going to  
  
take the chance that if she was still mortal enough to die that she would  
  
fall asleep and never wake up.  
  
"What?" Nat asked wearily. With great effort she moved her head  
  
higher on Nicks forearm to get herself out of a resting position. As a  
  
doctor she knew she was hurt, and she needed to stay awake. "What  
  
happened to me?" she asked, needing to know how she was hurt.  
  
"Who brought you across, Natalie? Who attacked you in the morgue  
  
and brought you across?" Nick directly, his voice taking on an  
  
authoritative tone.  
  
Her eyes widened in shock, then switched to fear as she looked  
  
around herself. The dry smelly blood all over her, the paleness of the  
  
feminine hands, her hands, that rested on her stomach. Dear Lord, she  
  
was now a vampire!  
  
She felt nauseous again, and turned over, retching and heaving,  
  
trying to keep from puking on Nick's clothes. The blood pooled next to  
  
her, and once he was sure she had stopped vomiting, he lifted her into his  
  
arms, carrying her into LaCroix's bathroom. Gently he placed her in the  
  
ornate gold plated bathtub, and started to adjust the water temperature.  
  
He then stripped her messy and damp pantsuit from her body, trying not to  
  
stare too long.  
  
He lathered up a fresh washcloth and began to gently bath Nat. She  
  
smiled up at him, and sighed at the soft feel of the cloth and his hands.  
  
Nick fought to hold back his desire for this women, but her pleasured sigh  
  
rocked him to his core. He had to get his mind off her body. He'd talk  
  
with her.  
  
"Nat," he whispered, getting her attention. She smiled weakly up at  
  
him. His 800-year-old heart melted. One kiss, just one small kiss. She  
  
switched her neck's position, reaching for the kiss he was encroaching  
  
for. His hand slid down to her stomach, as their lips gently met.  
  
"Nicholas, can't you keep it in your pants till she's better?" an  
  
amused voice cracked the sultry warmth in the room.  
  
Nick gritted his teeth and stood up. "Ariella, thank you for  
  
coming," Nick said, his civility strained.  
  
"Nicholas, I didn't think you were a chubby chaser! She must have  
  
been a meal and a half!" the tall lanky redhead commented, tossing her  
  
head back with laughter.  
  
"Ariella. Please," Nick said, a hard edge to his voice.  
  
"What Nicholas? Look at her, those thighs, that waist. Nice tits  
  
though…"  
  
"Ariella, would you please mind running your tests now?" La Croix  
  
asked, seeing the golden flare in Nicholas's eyes.  
  
"Okay," she said, rummaging through her medical bag and taking out a  
  
butterfly needle, tubing, and a vial. "Okay, I'll need some blood, and a  
  
place to work," Ariella said.  
  
"What, no hot pokers, Ariella?" Nick asked.  
  
"Cute, but I really am not a sadist, as you have spread around the  
  
community. I'm a scientist. I have questions; I need answers, and I  
  
don't believe in indulging in convenient ethics that change every  
  
century or so anyway," Ariella explained, mostly to the half conscious  
  
Natalie Lambert.  
  
"You use mortals in your experiment, like lab rats! You deform them,  
  
paralyze them, murder in grotesque ways! And if that wasn't enough, you  
  
even use your own kind from time to time! You are a disgusting  
  
perversion!" Nick spat, his fangs having descended halfway into his tirade.  
  
"A few of your precious mortals and a few personal fledglings..."  
  
"Enforcers..." Nat croaked, shocked that this woman was allowed to  
  
use other vampires in unsafe medical experiments, and on her own  
  
fledglings.  
  
"They do nothing. She brings them the concoctions she invents. They  
  
use them to bring down rogue vampires," LaCroix explained, scolding  
  
echoing in his voice.  
  
"Not to mention, keeping the community in line. And I, Dr. Lambert,  
  
am allowed to continue my work. Which is lucky for you. Now, this may take  
  
a while. I'll need some breakfast," Ariella said, withdrawing the needle  
  
from Natalie's arm.  
  
"I'll send up a waitress with some of my private stock," LaCroix  
  
said, trying to keep his tone civil after having been dismissed like  
  
a servant. "Nicholas, if Ariella has finished with her, please remove  
  
Natalie from my bathtub and burn her blood-soaked garments. I'll see if  
  
any of the fledglings downstairs have something for her to wear. For now  
  
there is a powder blue robe in my guest closet," he said, turning and  
  
heading downstairs.  
  
Nick eyed Ariella suspiciously, then carried Nat to the guest room.  
  
It too was modified for vampires, no windows anywhere.  
  
He found the closet and opened the door. Inside was female clothing.  
  
At first he assumed it had been Janette's, but soon gave up that idea.  
  
LaCroix would have disposed of anything Janette had left behind that he  
  
had no use for. Besides, Janette dressed more elegantly. This was  
  
spandex, jeans, tight sweaters, and a tan leather jacket. The label on  
  
the jeans read petite; Janette was tall. He considered it may belong to  
  
the homeless fledglings in the basement, but LaCroix never let them up  
  
here for anything. Perhaps LaCroix had a girlfriend, Nick mused.  
  
He found the robe, finally, and wrapped Natalie in it. Nick looked  
  
at the unconscious Natalie, lying on the bed, and shook his head. How  
  
Ariella could call her fat? Nat was perfect in Nick's eyes, and for a  
  
moment he held out hope for them. Now that she was what he was, once she  
  
was healthy, perhaps they could share blood, and unify their souls, giving  
  
each other strength against their internal killers. And having a little  
  
fun in the process. Nick smiled. Nat turned over in her sleep, revealing  
  
a smooth thigh. Definitely a lot of fun.  
  
* * *  
  
"Aha! I got it!" Ariella shouted, stirring LaCroix in the room next  
  
door.  
  
A minute later, Lacroix stood at the door, impeccable as always.  
  
"What have you found, exactly?" he accented the last word, wanting to  
  
limit any chatty tirades this particular vampiress was prone to.  
  
"Well, firstly, I discovered what's making the chubby one ill.  
  
Secondly, I know how to cure her. And finally, I have an idea on who might  
  
have done this to her. Exactly," Ariella recited lazily, as if discussing  
  
something of little importance, and being as vague as possible.  
  
"Let's start with your cure. What do we need?" LaCroix asked, his  
  
patience growing short with this one.  
  
"She needs a complete blood transfusion and an infusion of her  
  
master's own blood, being she is so new. Her master, however, is the more  
  
important of the two, as I suspect you haven't been able to locate him  
  
or her, or if you have they're at the end of a stake, and Nicholas's  
  
little Jelly Belly is damned," Ariella explained, a slight giggle escaping  
  
her lips. She loved playing games with those who needed her help. They  
  
spat on her name in her absence, but when they needed help she made them  
  
eat humble pie as payment.  
  
LaCroix gritted his fangs. For Nicholas, he'd bare this humiliation,  
  
but not forever. "No, we don't know who her master is, only that it is  
  
not one of my line," Lacroix answered.  
  
"No, it is not, but whoever he or she is, they were attacked by one  
  
of my line, one of my siblings. Which, I can't tell you. Why, I can't  
  
tell you, but only one of my dear deceased master's offspring could have  
  
done this. Only we know this poison," Ariella stated proudly.  
  
"You mentioned something about having to stake her master?" LaCroix  
  
asked in his most civil tone possible.  
  
"Correct. This poison has quite a little personality of its own.  
  
Firstly, it only does it's magic once in the bloodstream. So an attacker  
  
can coat their fangs or nails with it, and be safe themselves. Once in the  
  
bloodstream of a vampire, it causes violent delusions and sometimes even  
  
a psychic bond between attacker and victim. And that's just the first  
  
stage. Should the victim survive stage one, without the Enforcers staking  
  
them for going on a killing spree, the poison then sends them into a form  
  
of hibernation so deep that even the rest of the community would think  
  
them dead. Wounds don't close. The body even begins to rot if not  
  
refrigerated. The victim, if preserved through this stage which can last  
  
from three to nine months, wakes up delusional again, but this time  
  
ravenously hungry yet unable to hold the blood down. And the cycle begins  
  
again until the victim's body purges the poison naturally, which takes  
  
close to twenty years, or a complete transfusion is performed," Ariella  
  
lectured confidently.  
  
"Do you have any idea which relative of yours..."  
  
Suddenly, Nick came racing into the room. "I hope you're making  
  
progress Ariella!. I was just monitoring my police radio, and it seems my  
  
esteemed collogues have discovered the bodies of several homeless people  
  
in an alley adjacent to the morgue. The officers at the scene reported it  
  
as an animal attack, but I'll bet my badge that that explanation won't be  
  
taken at face value, especially when the day coroner is reported missing.  
  
I cleaned up the mess and disposed of the body, but there are still going  
  
to be unanswered questions. And I'd also bet good money that if I  
  
know about it already, so do the Enforcers! They'll be looking for Nat,  
  
and since your my master and Nat's my girlfriend, my guess is that we  
  
have fifteen to twenty minutes to get her out of here and figure out what  
  
to do, before they arrive!"  
  
* * *  
  
Within five minutes, Nick, LaCroix, Ariella, and the still sedate  
  
Natalie Lambert, were on the move in Nick's Caddie, the top up to avoid  
  
aerial detection.  
  
Twenty minutes later, Ariella flipped Nick's cell phone closed,  
  
tossing it out the window.  
  
"What'd you do that for?" Nick shouted, watching his phone get  
  
torn to pieces from the rear view mirror.  
  
"I had Aristotle find, dial, and patch me through to my three  
  
brothers and two sisters, one big conference call. I don't trust that  
  
little computer Geek not to triangulate the cell phone's signal and inform  
  
the Enforcers as to our last location," Ariella explained idly.  
  
"So what did your family say?" LaCroix asked impatiently. He was far  
  
too old to play fugitive.  
  
"They all deny using the poison within the last two thousand years.  
  
Of course they could be lying. I don't see how they'd benefit from it,  
  
though. Of course there is one sibling unaccounted for. The last one  
  
Kahaha brought across, the one that killed him! If it is that one, I am  
  
even more eager to get my hands on him or her then you three could  
  
possibly even imagine!" Ariella's voice turning to ice, barely controlled  
  
fury coursing through her at never being able to track down her great  
  
master's killer.  
  
LaCroix heaved a heavy sigh before speaking. "I'm afraid Nicholas  
  
and I took care of that little chore for you. The one you speak of was my  
  
daughter as a mortal. My master as a vampire. Six months ago, she rose  
  
from the tomb I had decapitated and buried her in to seek vengeance upon  
  
my house. She killed two of my... acquaintances, and nearly killed  
  
Nicholas and myself before she was staked. I burned her body and left  
  
her ashes to the wind. She is quite dead," LaCroix finished numbly.  
  
"Wait a moment. You said she killed two friends of yours. Are you  
  
sure? What happened to the corpses?" Ariella asked.  
  
"Vachon through himself upon a stake and was buried down by the  
  
lake with a friend of his, Screed, who died from the fever. Urs was torn  
  
to shreds by Divia. She didn't regenerate, and she was dead by the time  
  
I found her body," Nick informed.  
  
"Dr. Lambert took care of the body," LaCroix added.  
  
"How? How did she 'take care of the body'?" Ariella insisted. She  
  
was onto something, and she needed to be certain before she exerted the  
  
energy on a wild goose chase.  
  
"Incineration is the standard method of disposing of unclaimed  
  
corpses in Canada, Ariella. Did that give you the little thrill you  
  
wanted?" Nick asked curtly.  
  
"No, I..." the half conscious Natalie Lambert forced out, as loud as  
  
she could. Once she knew she had gotten their attention, she spoke. "I  
  
listed her as a Jane Doe, cause of death, heroine overdose. The law  
  
requires that all unclaimed bodies be kept for a year, at the morgue,  
  
before incineration. That's where the body is," Natalie explained,  
  
licking her parched lips.  
  
"Bingo! I think we've found who we're looking for!" Ariella chirped,  
  
this puzzle finally pulling itself together. "Where did this Urs go?  
  
Where did she live?"  
  
"Urs lived with me, at The Raven," LaCroix broke in, refusing to say  
  
anymore. He wasn't going to reignite the gossip mill on his relationship  
  
with Ursula, and he desperately wanted to take the wind out of Ariella's  
  
sails a bit.  
  
"Yes, but if she were in trouble she'd go to her master. Or where  
  
her master used to live," Nick deducted. He sent the caddie into a 180,  
  
and started back towards the abandon church that had been Vachon's last  
  
residence.  
  
Ariella reached into the backpack she'd brought with her, and pulled  
  
out a gun.  
  
Nick rolled his eyes. "What's that for?"  
  
"Same old Nick the Brick. It's a tranquilizer, detective. You don't  
  
go after a rabid animal unprotected. Or at least, I don't. This dart  
  
has enough tranqu meds to put down a hundred mortal men, permanently. It  
  
should keep our prey asleep three or four hours, at most," Ariella  
  
quipped, making sure the darts were properly loaded, then putting the gun  
  
in her belt.  
  
Nick had to admit, she had a point. Vachon had had terrible delusions  
  
before his death, and a delusional vampire could be very dangerous. "Okay,  
  
but keep the clip on. I don't want you shooting one of us, accidentally,"  
  
Nick warned.  
  
"Whatever you say," Ariella responded, rolling her eyes. The male  
  
ego rears its ugly head.  
  
They drove in silence for five more minutes till they reached the  
  
church. Nick carried Natalie from the car, and they all went inside,  
  
cautious of each step.  
  
The church was deathly silent and dark as pitch to mortal eyes.  
  
Nothing, sans a few mice moved, but the visitors knew another of there  
  
kind was near. Natalie seemed to perk up a bit, sensing her master's  
  
presence.  
  
"Ursula!" LaCroix finally shouted. He tried again. "Ursula!"  
  
Suddenly, with lightning speed, Nick was thrown to the ground. He  
  
managed to keep his hold on Natalie who shrieked. He felt sharp nails  
  
ripping into his face, nearly tearing the flesh completely off. He sensed  
  
LaCroix behind him, as the clawing at his body ceased.  
  
"Shoot her, Damn it!" LaCroix ordered, struggling to hold on to the  
  
flailing and snarling beast he held, so radically different from the  
  
innocent goddess he knew.  
  
"So much for the floor show," Ariella said after a short pause. She  
  
wasn't gonna make it too easy for them. A moment later though, the blond  
  
vampiress fell unconscious in LaCroix's arms, as the potion on the tip of  
  
a dart quickly took effect.  
  
Getting up off the floor, the rapidly healing Nick Knight gently held  
  
his beloved Natalie Lambert in his arms. She was deathly still, when  
  
suddenly, her head moved ever so slightly against Nick's strong arm.  
  
Blood tears of joy and relief fell from his eyes. He was no longer  
  
alone, and though she had lost her mortality, she had not lost her life.  
  
* * *  
  
Lucien LaCroix walked the halls of The Raven's upper level, ever the  
  
lord of the manor, his mind deep in thought.  
  
Nicholas had incinerated the missing Doctor Allanski's body,  
  
insisting that they leave the skull to allow for dental records to give  
  
some closure to his grieving family, while leaving no trace of how the  
  
man had been killed or who had killed him. Nicholas had always been soft  
  
that way, but over the past couple of months, LaCroix had learned that  
  
he'd rather live with a soft and surly Nicholas than no Nicholas at all.  
  
Two out of the three incidents had been courteousy of his demon  
  
daughter's rising from her graves to reek havoc. He could only wonder if  
  
he'd ever be free of Divia, or at least of her legacy. His memories he'd  
  
carry as long as he existed, but his memories he and his little family  
  
could live with.  
  
He came upon his own bedroom, and looked in. Ursula still lay  
  
comatose, strung up to machines that were purifying her blood. According  
  
to Ariella, she would wake up tomorrow feeling fresh and new. He  
  
wondered what she would make of the tale of her long ordeal and the  
  
fact that she now had a fledgling, while her own master lay staked and  
  
buried in the rocky soil off Lake Ontario. He knew her grief would be  
  
enormous, but he also knew she'd get through it. Despite her claims to  
  
the contrary, Ursula Compton was one of the strongest souls he'd ever  
  
encountered. Her strength was gentle, graceful, yet comparable to his  
  
own hard power. He held no doubt that one day, ions from now, she'd take  
  
her place as one of the communities most ancient and revered leaders,  
  
while most of her current contemporaries and elders would be dim memories.  
  
Finally, he passed the guest bedroom, spying Nicholas and Natalie,  
  
curled up together in sleep, through the crack in the doorway. That  
  
pairing should prove an interesting diversion over the next couple  
  
centuries. He wondered if their love would last forever, then scoffed at  
  
the notion. The only question was who would leave who first, and under  
  
what circumstances?  
  
Nothing lasted forever. What would be the point of existence if it  
  
did? 


End file.
